Athlete dies after being forced to compete

[free2131]

An athlete that had no choice to compete was killed after being injured at a competetion that made several people wealthy from wagering on the outcome.

Apparantly this athlete was whipped and had it's manager on his back the entire time. No one really cared whether she was hurt or not. The celebration for the winner was not held back, nor was any moment of silence held.

In fact, no one really seemed that shocked, as this type of thing happens often in this "sport".

These has to be the work of criminals, right? They have be hiding far underground, doing this "sport" away from the civilized world. Multiple law enforcement officials and governments are searching high and low for these evil people who treat living beings with such disregard.


Nah... just another day at the track.

[RickD]

I too was saddened by this...

[grasshopper]

I'm not a screaming animal rights activisist, but this was borderline even to my sensabilities. Remember Vick and his dog fighting? Whats the diff?

In horse racing (especially long track), you only put up the most proven candidates. In a stupid blunder, they took a young mare and tossed her in with the stallions, just for the publicity. The worst thing is that she ran her *** off and came in second.

I actually shed a tear. It would have been better if the jockey broke both his ankles and had to be put down on the spot.

[ohms_law]

Is there an actual story about this? It was a real event?
If so, I missed it...

[grasshopper]

Ohms - Yesterdays Kentucky Derby. The 2nd place finisher broke both her ankles on the cool down trot. They surrounded the horse with loads of trucks so we couldnt see and then put her down. Then they glorified the occasion with triumph and ugly teenagers chewing gum (did anyone else get annoyed by this) and pretended it didnt happen. It is a blood sport though, and always has been.

[ohms_law]

ah... i don't follow horse racing at all, so I didn't even know they were running the Kentucky Derby.

[grasshopper]

Who does follow it? It is the largest single sporting event outside of the super bowl for TV viewers. Also, a great excuse for a party.

[ohms_law]

Actually, I know a couple of people who really follow horse racing...

[kevarms]

That's very sad. Horse racing is wildly popular over here. Occasionally horses are euthanised after a bad fall over jumps, but I never heard of that in a flat race. Something not right there.

[gRYFYN1]

Its not uncommon for horses to be euthinised on the track or shortly there after. Horses cannot stay still or lay down for long periods of times or it causes serious complications with there circular and digestive systems and get thier extremities get easily infected.

As it is Race Horses are raised and trained to be extremely amazing physical animals, but they pay the price in their fragility. Eight Belles suffered a very unusual injury simply giving out on the cool down trot. She broke both of her front legs to the extent that bone had pierced the skin and wasnt even able to be put in a splint.

[dickay]

There's a huge difference between this occurrence and Micheal Vick. These horses are cared for better than most humans.

They race, they are born for it and it is in their blood. They are not bread to inflict pain and kill other animals. Sadly, horses are very fragile animals. The injuries sustained here was significant enough to where the medics and owners determined it was unable to live without great pain or sacrifice. Unlike humans, horses cannot be put into wheel chairs and live a normal life.

I'm not a big racing fan.....and i'm not a big horse fan.....but it's kind of rediculous to question the motives of those involved in the top end of this sport where horses are treated like kings and worth hundreds of thousands. It's even more ludicrous to compare it to Micheal Vick's and dog fighting.

Sure, it is a shotty way to end a huge spectators event....but don't make more of it than it is.

[dickay]

Who does follow it? It is the largest single sporting event outside of the super bowl for TV viewers. Also, a great excuse for a party.

In america yes.....in the world, believe it or not just the 'selection show' for the World Cup pairings draws millions more than the Super Bowl. I hate soccer, but the numbers are stagering.

[metsguy234]

I don't understand why horses are killed after injuries, while people just rehab.

You'd never see a headline that says:
"Ryan Zimmerman Put Down after Torn ACL"

[dickay]

I don't understand why horses are killed after injuries, while people just rehab.

You'd never see a headline that says:
"Ryan Zimmerman Put Down after Torn ACL"

I can only speculate, but a horse isn't going to lay down and 'recover' for 6 months and then ease into another 6 months of rehab. A horse isn't going to take crutches or a wheel chair to graze while recovering. I would guesstimate that many injuries to legs and feet of horses would simply never heal and leave the horse in great pain. Of course, they could simply tie the horse down for a year until it's fully healed, keeping it drugged.....but then i'm sure that would cause greater harm and damage.

Putting the horse down makes full sense to me. I'm quite sure they'd prefer to keep a horse worth hundreds of thousands vs. putting it down if they had an option.

[gRYFYN1]

Read this article, compared to what Eight Belles suffered this wasn't all that bad, and the vets thought the horse had a 10-15% survival rate after surgery.

http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/article/6788.htm